Austin Hays hamstring injury brings White Sox outfield depth to scary new low

The White Sox outfield was one of the team’s biggest questions coming into the season. The questions became even louder when the team traded Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets in January. OF Austin Hays was signed to add a veteran option to a young and unproven group. Unfortunately, less than two weeks into the 2026 regular season, and influx of injuries has taken an already thin area of the White Sox roster and made it even thinner. 

Hays, 30, joined the White Sox after a year in Cincinnati where he posted a .768 OPS in 103 games. The 2023 all-star was looking for an opportunity to play every day and found it in Chicago, where he reunited with White Sox Hitting Director Ryan Fuller, who he spent time with in Baltimore. Hays was just 7-for-32 to start the season with his notable contribution being his three-run homer during the White Sox victory in Miami last week. Hays has been diagnosed with a grade 1 hamstring strain and is expected to miss two to four weeks. It's slightly more mild than Kyle Teel's grade 2 strain that has delayed his season debut.

Hays' injury leaves the White Sox many questions in the outfield

The White Sox, meanwhile, are left in a bit of a bind with their outfield mix. Luisangel Acuna remains the primary option in center, but the corners have quickly gotten dicey. Andrew Benintendi may see more reps in left field, but he’s struggled mightily defensively and has been injury prone himself in recent years. Everson Pereira seemed to be the choice for the primary right field duties, but his ankle sprain has sidelined him as well. Tristan Peters has taken somewhat competitive at bats, so he could continue to see regular playing time until Pereira or Hays return. Derek Hill may factor in against lefties. But Dustin Harris, who was recalled to replace Hays on the roster, may be the most interesting of the bunch. 

Harris, 26, was originally drafted by the Athletics in 2019 before a trade sent him to the Rangers organization in 2020. With an OPS of .818 and 73 home runs, Harris has posted solid offensive numbers throughout his minor league career. Speed and defensive versatility are also part of his game, as Harris has 163 minor league stolen bases and has played five different positions. He got his first taste of big league action in 2024, going 2-for-6 with a home run and three RBI’s for the Rangers. A slightly larger sample yielded middling results for Harris in 2025, and the outfielder finished 8-for-40 with a home run, three doubles, and a stolen base. 

Harris hasn’t gotten an extended run of at bats at the big league level, but his success in the minor leagues and his intriguing speed and power profile should warrant a good look in the majors while the White Sox are shorthanded. He certainly offers more upside than someone like Derek Hill, who is already on the wrong side of 30 and brings most of his value on defense. 

It’s hard to find a positive spin in a thin outfield group being decimated by injuries, but the White Sox wanted to be a place for former hyped prospects to have “runway” and there are plenty of opportunities to be had. Hopefully, Hays and Pereira will be back sooner rather than later, but expect a heavy dose of mixing and matching based on matchups in the meantime. 

The White Sox have a long way to go to become a contending team, but hopefully the next few weeks of White Sox baseball will at least be watchable, even with the injuries starting to pile up.